UNH Today

Representatives from several New Hampshire businesses learned how they can hire a UNH Wildcat during a recent event hosted by UNH Cooperative Extension and the UNH office of Career and Professional Success (CaPS) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

CaPS and UNH Extension partnered with the City of Portsmouth’s economic development office for the “How To Hire a Wildcat” workshop prompted by a recent UNH Extension survey that showed Portsmouth businesses have a hard time finding employees.

Nancy Carmer, manager of the economic development office, offered a brief overview of the report, which asked 71 businesses and nonprofits to define their top challenges. The need for qualified employees came up again and again.

CaPS’ director of employer relations Raina Sarvaiya and her colleagues presented information on how businesses can connect with UNH students and graduates who are looking for jobs, introducing Handshake, UNH’s free online career management system that allows employers to post job openings and internships. Once employers register, students can search and apply for jobs and internships. On-campus work-study positions and campus recruitment events are also listed.

“It was clear that there was another role for the university to play that involved putting Extension’s research into action and reinforcing our commitment to working with employers and doing our part to strengthening the pipeline of qualified graduates to New Hampshire employers.”                 

“The Extension survey generated a lot of interest within the city. I think it helped to confirm some of the things business owners and the economic development office were thinking, while also highlighting some further areas for consideration,” says Tom Cronin, public affairs manager for UNH. “Given a few of the workforce recommendations, particularly related to entry-level recruitment and internships, it was clear that through our office of Career and Professional Success, there was another role for the university to play that involved putting Extension’s research into action and reinforcing our commitment to working with employers and doing our part to strengthening the pipeline of qualified graduates to New Hampshire employers.”

After the presentations, panelists answered questions from business owners and other employers. Sarvaiya encouraged business owners looking for part-time workers or graduates not yet entering their careers to contact the CaPS office directly.

"Our employer relation’s team is available to help employers connect with students to build their workforce pipelines,” Sarvaiya says. “We can work with employers one-on-one to understand their recruiting needs and establish a personalized recruiting plan centered around their engagement interests that will help them achieve their hiring goals.”

Learn more about UNH Extension’s work with New Hampshire communities on economic development.